Here are some highlights of the interview between Fino and Varela, which I have translated. Below you will get a link for the entire interview in Spanish:
On the nature of change for news and the media
All is changing, the proper nature of content, the access of citizens to information, but also their cognitive perception, the way information is distriburted and how it is utilized. We are living a change not only in the way journalists work, but also in the nature and ecology of such information. This is why the quality criteria of content and media are changing. The fundamental charaterisctics of quality journalism remain intact: precision, newness, interest, utility, influence, social repercusion, etc., and many of the attributes of style persist and will always persist. But the mere texture of information changes. Journalism is not something “finished” or finite in its production, editing and distribution. Now, each of the processes remains open and many sources, including the public, get involved in it. It is a sort of interaction between the technological tools of this multimedia environment, which allow for information to be developed as a process where the media become platforms, and where the users can participate as part of the process. Many of these processes are yet to be discovered.”
On the power of blogs as part of social discourse
Without any doubt, social networks are consolidating as the new forum for discussion and citizen participation. Look at the 3.0 participatory campaign of Barack Obama.. This has not only proved the candidate’s ability to raise money, but also the high level of mobilization and organization that is possible within the society (militants and voters, in this case), and we now see it again as Obama forms its transitional government using the net, Change.gov, a forum for discussion and dialog, which make political rethorical statements into reality……the social networks are offering people the tools for action.
About citizen journalism
There is a lot of journalism in citizen journalism, if we may call it that. To me there is no such thing as citizen journalism . I am an old defender of journalism as an act, not a profession, or a discipline. Many journalists who work in newsrooms spend a large part of their professional lives without practicing journalism. They produce contents for the media, but to do real journalism, not much. By the same token, many other people do practice journalism by reporting stories, connecting with the media, capturing and transmitting information, whether they are “journalists” or not. Indeed, journalism is the act of doing these things…..And now citizens have the tools, through technology, to engage in these activities.
About blogs
Blogs are getting more democratic and maturing, of course. To have a blog requires that you have a big ego, and a great desire to communicate information, to relate to others, to communicate experiences. Today, this is changing, as there are additional tools for those who wish to communicate their experiences. There is, for example, the various social networks which allow for interaction, and microblogging, additional tools which adapt, in some cases, better than blogs in terms of communication and identity.
For the entire Fino/Varela interview go here:
https://garciamedia.com/latinamerica/blog/archives/el_atomo_de_la_informacion_ya_no_es_la_noticia
[+] Read about Juan Varela here:
• Sociedad Cableada
• Vida 3.0
This is Juan Varela’s daily blog, a must read for those who wish to be updated on the Spanish-language press:
• Periodistas 21
In Dubai with the Gulf News the rest of the week. Here I enjoy a midmorning Arabic coffee today, served by the newsroom office assistant, Kabir Siraz Ullah.
TheMarioBlog posting #155